5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before the Year Ends

BridgewaterUKDec 4, 2019Career Advice, Career Progression0

Christmas is coming and for many of us, it’s a time of year where we can have a short break from work and recharge for the new year. While it’s great to enjoy the festive season, you should also find some time to reflect.

Ask yourself these questions.

1. What have you achieved this year?

Make a list of your key achievements for the year and what you are proud of. This should highlight to you what your current strengths and weaknesses are. Your achievements may include:

The completion of an important project
Contributing to the success of a team
Hitting or exceeding goals and targets
Building your skillset/knowledge
Helping your colleagues
Successfully actioning feedback
A promotion or pay rise

2. What could you have done better?

While you don’t want to dwell on your negatives or failures this year, it’s essential to reflect if you want to progress professionally next year. Think about what tangible changes you can make and bear in mind that even small changes can make a big difference to your success.

If you can get some feedback from your team/manager about where you can improve you will also be better positioned to make positive changes.

3. How are your relationships?

Building good relationships with your team and clients/customers at work has a big impact on your success. Reflect on how your relationships are currently and how you communicate with others. Is there anything you can do to communicate more effectively? You may wish to pinpoint key relationships that you want to focus on improving next year.

4. Do you have a good work-life balance?

Work-life balance is an important area to get right and it is also dependant on you and what you find acceptable. It’s vital that you aren’t taking on too much and burning yourself out. Think about how happy you are with your work-life balance this year and whether you need to make any changes for next year.

You need to ensure you are taking care of yourself. If you are happier and healthier you will also be more successful in your career.

5. Are you happy?

This is an important question that is often overlooked. Happiness can be determined by a number of factors which can make this question a difficult one. You can focus on:

The company: Are there opportunities to progress? Are you receiving relevant support and training?
Location: Are you happy with your work and home location or would you like to relocate?
Mental health and wellbeing: Do you like the people you work with? Are you regularly suffering from stress at work?
Level of responsibility: Have you got too much responsibility, or would you like the opportunity to progress?

By analysing your current situation, you should be able to determine whether it is still right for you. Either way, having asked yourself these questions you will be in a much better position to set your goals for the new year and to develop and progress in your career.